A U-turn to the Future: Sustainable Urban Mobility since 1850

Ruth Oldenziel, Professor of history and innovation at Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands will present this seminar.

Mobility from local bike-sharing initiatives to overhauls of transport infrastructure is one of the most important areas in which modern cities are trying to realize a more sustainable future. Yet even as politicians and planners look ahead and focus on the future, there remain critical insights to be gleaned from the history of urban mobility and the unsustainable practices that still impact our everyday lives. In exploring the notion of a “usable past,” the presentation “A U-turn to the Future: Sustainable Urban Mobility since 1850” examines the the ecological, social, and economic aspects of urban mobility in its relation to urban planning. It shows how historical inquiry can make both conceptual and practical contributions to the projects of sustainability and urban renewal. Based on the just published book and the collective investigation, this presentation shows how our cities came to be as unsustainable in the recent past and uncovers hidden histories containing important clues for how to make cities more sustainable in the future.

Oldenziel is editor in chief of Technology and Culture and directs a Research-Book-Web-Teaching project Cycling Cities: The Global Experience.